Taking the Scenic Route…
BY KENNETH LUNDGREN
Woke up at 6:30. Took a look at the thermometer. 18 degrees. Yeah right. Nope. Crawled back into bed.
At 9:00, a yawn and I was out of bed, almost instantly dressed — like a fireman jumping out of his bunk, straight into his boots!
Chose a hilly route, steady endurance stuff. Rode bigger gears seated, HR staying low. I rode up into the famous Fayson Lakes, narrow, rolling, twisty roads cutting through mountainous wilderness. It’s neat seeing actual log cabins and actual smoke puffing from the chimney. Neat, I say.
In no time, you’re in the middle of nowhere. As I crested one climb, that terrific bloom of heat beginning to gather on my forehead, I saw a leaning water tower up on a mountain, off in the distance.
I don’t ride this type of terrain too often, out in Nowhere Land, but this is what I love:
You ride a twisty road, darting in and out of the shadows, climbing, descending, climbing, descending, the road never flat, and then you bomb this surprisingly steep descent at Lycra-rippling speeds, and you fly into this vast deserted openness, the starch sunlight above, unbroken, nothing but forever gray fields, wooden slat fences, all uneven and sloped, Preserved Farmland signs posted here and there. And then a dilapidated shed, cows in the prairies, the fences still perfectly uneven.
And you smile.
A good morning on the bike.
Diet stuff: I’ve been losing weight. My energy level is through the roof. After reading an article about ultra-runner Dean Karnazes, it makes sense. In November, I tried to cut out eating too many processed foods and cutting back on the simple sugars. I try to drink only water… Well, the weight goes down and the energy goes up. Nice.
Then, in the article, Dean says almost the exact same thing: he eats nothing that’s processed, eats minimal refined sugars, and drinks water water water. He says cutting back on sugar alone will shed that bloated belly (because your body stores these carbs by retaining water).
That’s me. Riding long tomorrow with friends in Morristown. Hope everyone can enjoy the predicted Sunday sunshine…
Tanita: 154 pounds
Norm Watts: 191
Distance: 43 miles
Avg. Watts: 157
Max Watts: 761
HR: 126, 163 max
Cadence: 86
Speed: 17
